Trade and climate are deeply connected. The COP29–30 Roadmap notes that older investment treaties with Investor–State Dispute Settlement (#ISDS) can limit climate action, with over USD 83bn already awarded in related cases. Good to see this recognised at COP level. unfccc.int/sites/defaul...

The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy does not put human rights or climate first. @thomaswills.bsky.social "Critical minerals are essential for the transition, but the gov’s plan is about securing access for UK industry, not safeguarding communities or the climate." tjm.org.uk/the-uks-crit...

A Parliamentary Question has revealed that a sanctioned Russian oligarch is taking the UK to a secret corporate court. #ISDS lets sanctioned individuals challenge UK national security decisions. It has no place in a democracy. Read TJM’s statement: tjm.org.uk/uk-being-sue...

As #COP30 focuses on the Amazon, new research shows governments can still face #ISDS claims for taking climate action. 218 oil & gas projects are covered by treaties enabling these challenges. We cannot protect the Amazon while these rules remain. www.bu.edu/gdp/2025/11/...

The UK is being sued for blocking a coal mine. Not in a British court but in a secretive tribunal. A case almost unknown to the British public raises profound questions of justice. “A scandal waiting to happen.” J. Goldsmith @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a...

Investor–state disputes (ISDS) over natural resources have reached their highest level in a decade. A sign of deepening tensions over who controls the world’s minerals, and why that matters. #StopISDS www.reuters.com/business/aut...

Great to see @oxfaminternational.bsky.social’s new #ClimatePlunder report exposing ISDS: secret corporate courts letting fossil fuel companies sue governments for taking climate action 🌍💡. Time to reject ISDS & put people and the planet first. #StopISDS policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/cl...

Big tech frames regulation as a trade barrier, but the danger isn’t regulation, it’s letting tech giants set the agenda. Governments need the freedom to regulate digital markets. Read more in this piece by @astienon.bsky.social: www.techpolicy.press/how-europe-c...

Pleased to see our very own George Holt join Alan Winters, Liam Campling and host @chrishorseman.bsky.social to unpack what the British public really thinks about trade 🎧👇

We stand with CAN-UK and over 45 orgs calling on the UK to champion an ambitious just transition at #COP30. We support the call for a Belém Action Mechanism (#BAM), to embed fairness and better lives for everyone into climate action, at home and globally. 📄 Read the full letter: t.co/oeBSVqEste

Starting in an hour! Highly recommend joining below webinar if you want to dig deeper into #ISDS reform and how it links to investment treaties, climate, democracy and human rights. 📅 Hosted by @clientearth.bsky.social and @iisd.org

📩 Our October newsletter is out! Trade turbulence continues: new ministers, old problems. We unpack what the UK’s new trade leadership means, and how the country’s first #ISDS case shows corporate courts can obstruct climate action and democracy. 👉 Read more: mailchi.mp/2798be4a446e...

Dr Patricia Ranald highlights how Palmer’s claims expose the absurdity of ISDS: secret tribunals, no independent judges, no appeals, and giving investors special rights to sue govts over public interest laws. #ISDS is a threat to democracy & climate. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Another billionaire tries (and fails) to use investor–state dispute settlement (#ISDS) to squeeze money from a government. Clive Palmer’s case was dismissed, and he’s ordered to pay $13m. These corporate courts don’t belong in a fair trade system. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

The new UK-US Tech Prosperity MoU is an opaque stitch-up, negotiated behind closed doors. It risks a giveaway to US Big Tech & undermines democracy, oversight & regulation. Read our full statement: tjm.org.uk/new-uk-us-te...

Investors can use old treaties to challenge democratically-agreed decisions on climate, sanctions, or security ... and claim billions. #ISDS puts profits first. Read more ⬇️

Farage’s US testimony warns of “authoritarian” UK rules and the arrest of social media users. But, what’s at stake is how trade deals & digital taxes could shape online safety. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

🚨 The UK is on the verge of signing a trade deal with Gulf states that puts human rights at risk. Together with 13 other organisations, we’ve sent a joint letter urging the UK government to act. 🧵⬇️

We've joined 22 other NGOs to reiterate UN calls for legal consequences for companies involved in human rights violations against the Palestinian people. Read more and see the full statement: corporatejusticecoalition.org/news/press/c...

Fossil fuel giants are suing governments at record levels to block climate laws. Already 22 new #ISDS cases this year, and we’re only in August. 😱 These secret corporate courts jeopardise global climate action. 👉 Read this detailed @ftm.eu article: www.ftm.eu/articles/fos...

Great piece from @katiesurma.bsky.social featuring quotes from our Director @thomaswills.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/1108202...

The UK is being sued by fossil fuel investors over the High Court's decision to block a coal mine in Cumbria. This is the ISDS system in action: a parallel system where investors can challenge government policies, even over something as vital as climate action. icsid.worldbank.org/cases/case-d...

Our August newsletter is out now! • Labour’s first year: why its Trade Strategy still looks worryingly familiar • US tariff threats to the Global South • How the energy transition risks becoming a dirty deal • Plus lots more updates 📩 Read it here: tinyurl.com/yrybbvre

“Trump’s tariffs exemplify the economic dominance long exercised by the Global North to Southern Africa as a continuation of colonialism." ACTSA joined @tradejusticemov.bsky.social in calling on the UK to support the Global South in the face of incoming trade tariffs & implement fairer trade itself

As the 1 August US tariff deadline approaches, we’re urging the UK to oppose Trump’s escalating trade threats which risk deepening economic hardship for the Global South. The UK must not stay silent. It should defend a fairer global trade system. tjm.org.uk/uk-must-stan...

Giving in to Trump’s tariff threats won’t stop the attacks, it invites more. Governments must stop conceding ground and start defending a fairer global trade system. @nickdearden.bsky.social @globaljusticenow.bsky.social & Melanie Foley @publiccitizen.bsky.social www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

🇬🇧🇮🇳The UK-India trade deal risks entrenching global inequalities and locking in a trade model that puts corporate profits before people and planet. It’s a missed opportunity for climate justice, workers’ rights and global equity. Read our response: tjm.org.uk/uk-india-fta...

UPDATE: It looks like the Bilateral Investment Treaty hasn’t gone through, which means oppressive corporate courts won’t be forced on India yet. A great win for campaigners @globaljusticenow.bsky.social, @waronwant.bsky.social @tradejusticemov.bsky.social & others!

The UK-India FTA text is expected later today. We’ll be watching closely: what’s in it, what’s not, and what it means for labour rights, development & the climate. #UKIndiaFTA #TradeJustice www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

As No 10 woos Silicon Valley, big questions remain: Who sets the rules for our digital future: governments or Big Tech? This isn’t just about AI investment, it’s about data rights, encryption & trade deals that entrench corporate power. @newstatesman.com www.newstatesman.com/world/americ...

As the world races to secure lithium, cobalt, nickel & critical minerals for green tech, questions are rising about who benefits, and who bears the cost. The BBC looks at the political, legal and environmental tensions behind the mining boom. 🏗️⚖️ www.bbc.com/news/article...

A groundbreaking opinion from @Inter-American Court of Human Rights urges states to review their #ISDS mechanisms and ensure that investment treaties align with climate obligations. IISD expert @jostransky.bsky.social's 🆕 blog breaks down the Court’s key findings ➡️ www.iisd.org/articles/pol...

Duncan Green’s blog highlights a crucial challenge: ensuring next global trade system is fairer & development-friendly. Vigilance, new narratives & strong coalitions are key. NGOs must reconnect trade & investment to campaigns for real change. @soas-dld.bsky.social tinyurl.com/mw6zxkzw

Securing critical minerals is a growing UK priority, but at what cost? Trade policy could either fuel a race for resources that harms people and planet, or help build fair, responsible supply chains. New @bondngo.bsky.social blog by @thomaswills.bsky.social www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/07...

Shell and ExxonMobil are suing the Dutch govt for billions over the closure of the Groningen gas field, after earning €65bn and leaving 100k+ homes damaged. @somoamsterdam.bsky.social new report is a powerful reminder that we need to remove ISDS from trade deals now.

A major milestone, but fossil fuel firms could still sue under the #ECT until 2045 unless action is taken. Our legal opinion supports the same approach as @economies.iisd.org The UK can strike an 'inter se' agreement with EU & others to disapply the sunset clause. tinyurl.com/4c3wsh68

The UK’s new trade strategy makes big promises, but fails to back them with binding commitments. “Without clear conditions and safeguards that uphold rights... these promises risk remaining purely rhetorical.” @thomasrhwills www.reuters.com/world/uk/bri...

The government's first Trade Strategy makes welcome commitments on labour, environment and development, but without binding rules or proper scrutiny, the gap between ambition and action remains wide. Read our full statement: tinyurl.com/y97a793f

"So have the Govt done a really regrettable U-turn on human rights and trade agreements, or has the scenario in the Gulf improved so much that the Labour Govt do not think it is warranted?" The Govt yesterday failed to confirm that a GCC trade deal would contain binding human rights provisions.

🚨 Our latest newsletter breaks down the UK’s recent flurry of trade announcements and the serious lack of scrutiny behind them. Plus: trade with India, Israel and the US, digital and ISDS threats, critical minerals, and more. 📩 Read mailchi.mp/e05467b508d5...

The UK should not sign new trade deals with countries that abuse human rights. The signature of a values-free UK-GCC trade agreement would signal that human rights, workers' rights and climate protections continue to be disregarded in UK trade policy. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The government has sent a representative with appalling views on the genocide to deepen our cooperation. This is complicity, pure and simple. David Lammy has misled parliament and the public, and it is time for him to consider his position. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

🚨 New report: Looming Threat warns of serious risks from a full UK-US trade deal under Trump - from NHS data & medicines to tech regulation, online safety & food standards. 📢 The real danger lies in what comes next. Read more 👉https://tinyurl.com/mtcsyk7b

The UK has suspended trade talks with Israel and sanctioned those involved in illegal settlements. These steps are overdue, but not enough. The UK must stop arms exports, review its trade deal, and go further. It has a legal and moral duty to act. 👉 tjm.org.uk/uk-suspends-...

Big Pharma is using Trump’s tariff threat to hold Europe to ransom. Our health should not be in the hands of these profiteers. We need a better way of making medicines. Pleased to be in Politico with Peter Maybarduk of @publiccitizen.bsky.social 👇 www.politico.eu/article/phar...

MPs are being sidelined on major trade deals with the US, India, and the EU. Starmer's approach raises concerns about transparency and democratic oversight. Parliament deserves a say. www.spectator.co.uk/article/parl...

“The green transition can’t be built on exploitation.” Together with 16 other civil society orgs, we urge the UK to rethink its approach to critical minerals. Important piece by @damiengayle.bsky.social 👇 www.theguardian.com/business/202...

🚨As the UK prepares its Critical Minerals Strategy, 17 civil society orgs urge the gov not to repeat past mistakes. Extraction without safeguards risks deepening injustice. We call for demand reduction, rights protections & corporate accountability. ▶️ tinyurl.com/26ns6r4f

Labour should be united against a UK-Israel trade deal. Signing a trade deal while Israel carries out atrocities in Gaza undermines any claim to upholding human rights. @telegraphnews.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

At Scottish Fair Trade we have signed this letter from @tradejusticemov.bsky.social expressing our concern regarding the lack of transparency and democratic oversight of negotiations towards a US-UK trade agreement.